Propeller Streamer Flies (Pistol Pete Style)

One Propeller, Five Different Flies

This pattern is often called Pistol Pete. It’s been around since 1972, when a 12-year-old named Chris Furia tied the first one in Trinidad, Colorado. The idea was simple: take a fly, add a small front-mounted propeller, and let the blade do some of the work that a streamer’s movement and flash usually handle alone.

This assortment isn’t one tie style repeated in five colors. Each color in this pack is its own build, and they share the propeller, not the recipe.

What’s Actually in This Pack

• Olive: The closest to a classic Woolly Bugger build in this set, with a chenille body, palmered hackle, and a soft marabou tail with a bit of flash mixed in.
• Black/Chartreuse: A chenille body with stiff palmered hackle and a straight synthetic tail, more clipped and direct than a marabou tail.
• Blue: Built more like a winged wet fly, with hackle fibers splayed out in a fan rather than a wrapped body and tail.
• Orange: A stripped-down build. A wrapped thread body with a sparse tail of straight flash fibers, no hackle collar.
• White: Mostly tail material, a loose bundle of marabou and flash behind the propeller with very little body.

The propeller is the constant. The blade spins on the retrieve, sending out vibration that fish can pick up through their lateral line, on top of whatever visual movement each individual tie style already offers.

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How the Propeller Works

A small bead sits behind the prop and acts as a bearing, so the blade spins smoothly even on a slow retrieve instead of dragging or sticking.

• Built to Spin Freely: The bearing setup keeps line twist to a minimum compared to a stiffer, poorly balanced prop.
• Fishes Deep or Shallow: Like the original Pistol Pete, this pattern works at multiple depths depending on retrieve speed and sink time.
• Durable Build: Tied on a strong #8 long-shank hook to hold up to strikes from bigger trout and bass.

How to Fish It

Stillwater Strip: Cast out and count it down in lakes. Retrieve with steady strips to keep the blade turning. Bulkier ties like the Olive flare more on the pause, while the sparser Orange and White builds move with less resistance.

River Swing: Cast across the current and let the river’s own tension spin the blade as the fly swings through the pool. The Blue tie’s splayed wing profile is built for exactly this kind of swung presentation.

Trolling: Works well as a slow troll behind a boat or float tube. A slightly heavier Fluorocarbon Tippet (3X or 4X) holds up better over a full day than a lighter one.

Common Questions

Are all five colors tied the same way? No. Each color in this pack uses a different build, from a full Woolly Bugger style to a sparse flash-tail attractor. The propeller is what they have in common.

Does the propeller twist my leader? The blade is small, so twist is minimal. If you’re fishing it all day, a slightly heavier tippet or a small micro-swivel helps.

What species take this fly? Trout and Bass are the most common targets, but Pistol Pete style flies are also well known among anglers for Crappie, Bluegill, Pike, and Walleye.

Which one should I start with? The Olive, since it’s the closest to a standard streamer most anglers already know how to fish. From there, the sparser builds like Orange and White are worth trying in clearer water where a bulkier tie might look unnatural.

Specs